Catapult cartridge safe



March 13, 1956 E. SHUMAN CATAPULT CARTRIDGE SAFE Filed May 11, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l ldt/galo ll Q 77 2a WIEIEIEFI Edward Slumzan INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States tent This invention relates to a safe and more particularly to a safe deposit receptacle to store valuable papers or other valuable material.

It is an object of this. invention to provide a safe of this kind for safely securing papers and the like in a building or dwelling and-so restrained in the building as to be projected therefrom upon the occasion of fire nearthe safe or upon the unauthorized attempt of aperson to enter the'safein the-building: 7

It is another object ofthis invention to provide a cartridge safe of the kindto be more particularly described hereinaftersorestrained in a building astobe releasable upon a fire or attempted burglary of the safe so as to be projected from the building.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cartridge safe constructed and arranged according to an embodiment of my invention mounted in a building, the building being shown partly broken away and partly .in section.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the safe removed from the building.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the safe shown removed from the mounting and building with the inner container shown in side elevation.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the safe and inner container shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the safe.

Fig. 6 is a transverse cross section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly broken away, of the removable wall of the safe and alarm connected to the building.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged front elevation, partly broken away and partly in section of the alarm.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the cover for the safe cord, removed from the safe.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged side elevation, partly broken away, of the wall hole casing door and alarm energizing rod, removed from the safe.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings the numeral 10 designates generally a catapult cartridge safe constructed and arranged according to an embodiment of my invention.

The safe 10 is adapted to be mounted within a build ing and slidably enclosing a receptacle which may be projected exteriorly thereof either in case of fire or at any time when an unauthorized attempt is made to enter the safe. The safe 10 is to be supported within a building as on a building wall 11 having an opening 12 therein there being a door 14 for closing the opening 12 and the door has a plurality of releasable latches 15 so that the door may be manually inserted within the opening 12 at any time it is desired and the door will stay in place until it is moved outwardly there- ICC from, as at a, time when the safe; is projected ''from,

the building. The safe 10 is particularly adapted to bestored within the building. at a level; above the head,

of a person and it will be projected outwardly at: substantially the same level so thatthe safe would not hit anyone when it is projected and itmay be easily reached for insertion into the building throughthe opening 12.

The safe 10 comprises an outer receptacle of con tainer 16 which forms the outer box of the safe, the. safe having holes 17 on the upper sides. thereof for. the

purposes and reasons to be more particularly described hereinafter. The, outer receptacle 16 is adapted to; be. initially inserted through 14 is closed and-latched therein.

inner receptacle or container 18.is. disposed within the. outer receptacle, 16. Holes 17 are open through.

the receptacle 16 on the upper surface thereof adjag cent to the building wallll and close tothe alarmwhich iscarried by the building wall exteriorly of the safe 10,

There is a cup 20 provided on an end wall of j the inner receptacle remote from the door 14 within which a coiled spring 21 is adapted to be engaged for cata- L pultingthe inner receptacle outwardly from the outer receptacle andcfrom the safe 10 with the door 14--at which time the inner container thereof is to' be projectedgirom the building. 21 bears against the flat surface of the end wall of the inner receptacle and the other end of the coil spring bears against the inner wall of the outer receptacle so that a constant spring tension is between the inner and outer receptacles for projecting the inner receptacle 18 outwardly through the opening 12 in the building wall 11.

A fusible cord 22 is connected at one end to the end wall of the inner receptacle, the other end of the fusible cord 22 extending outwardly through a hole 24 located in the outer receptacle which is registered with the hole 25 located through in the outer receptacle, the cord 22 being disposed substantially axially of the coil spring 21.

The end of the fusible cord 22 remote from the receptacle is engaged through a sleeve 26 carried by the outer receptacle in substantial alignment with the axis of the spring 21. A cover 27 encloses the sleeve 26, the cover 27 being formed with a plurality of peripheral slots 28 therein through which heat may be transmitted when it is sufficient to melt or break the fusible cord which restrains the inner receptacle within the safe 10.

There is provided a hook 29 on the sleeve 26, intermediate the length thereof about which the cord 22 may be knotted or otherwise firmly secured for holding the inner receptacle inwardly of the outer receptacle against the tension of the coiled spring 21.

For supporting the safe 10 above the heads of persons within or exteriorly of the building there is provided a fiat stand 36 adjacent to the door 14 and opening 12 in the building wall, the stand 30 being supported by a brace 31 which is secured to the inner side of the building wall.

An alarm 40 is supported by the building wall 11 adjacent to the safe 10 for exciting an alarm when the inner receptacle has been removed from the building and from the outer receptacle.

The alarm 40 includes a bell 41 which is mounted on the inner side of the building wall and is engaged with a clapper 42 which in turn has a hammer 44 for striking the bell 41 the clapper being energized by a coiled spring 45 which rotates the wheel and resilient means constantly urges the hammer 44 into engagement with the bell 41. j

A toothed wheel 46 is engageable with the clapper Paten e Mar- 13, 6

the opening 12 before, the door;

One end of the coil spring- 3 42 for intermittently actuating the hammer of the clapper into its alarm engagement with the bell and a rod 47, fixed at one end to the door 14 engages with the toothed wheel for holding the toothed Wheel still when the alarm 40 is not to be actuated. Under ordinary conditions, with both of the receptacles in place and the alarm 40 set, the alarm will be quiet but in the case of fire or the unauthorized movement of the inner rcceptacle or container 18 from the outer receptacle or container 16 the alarm 40 will be so energized as to make it well known that the safe has been entered or the fusible cord 22 has been severed. When the cord has been broken by fire or excess heat, the spring 21 Will catapult the inner receptacle outwardly from the outer receptacle and outwardly through the opening -12 in the building wall. At the same time the door 14 will also be suddenly pushed outwardly from its closing relation to the opening 12 in the building wall.

Each of the receptacles 16 and 18 has an outwardly opening door hinged thereon in such a manner that the inner receptacle, with its door 48 opened, may not then be projected from the outer receptacle since the open inner door 48 must engage through the opening left by the also opened door 49 of the outer receptacle.

While the specific details of one embodiment of this invention have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a building having a wall with an opening therein, a horizontal housing extending inwardly from said opening, said housing having horizontal top and bottom walls, upright side walls and an inner end wall, a safe slid able in said housing, a door in one of said side walls, a door in said safe adapted to normally confront said first named door, a door normally closing said first named opening, yieldable means normally urging said safe toward said latter named door, said inner end wall having an opening, a fusible flexible member secured at one end to said safe and extending outwardly of said housing, a perforate tubular member fixed to said one end Wall, a hook carried by said tubular member, said flexible member being fixed to said hook, an audible alarm fixed to said building wall, and means normally holding said alarm inoperative, fusing of said flexible member releasing said safe for movement toward said third named door and disengaging said alarm holding means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 142,174 Parke Aug. 26, 1873 144,470 Morgan Nov. 11, 1873 707,344 Neale Aug. 19, 1902 884,843 Newman Apr. 14, 1908 1,166,145 Nanni Dec. 28, 1915 1,374,636 Collins Apr. 12, 1921 2,015,963 Rader Oct. 1, 1935 "wa e-.. 

